Chimaev and Strickland trade conflicting stories about gym rivalry

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland have shared contradictory accounts of their training camp tensions. Chimaev claims Strickland avoided training with him by switching gyms whenever Chimaev showed up, moving between Xtreme Couture and the UFC Performance Institute, and only began talking after Chimaev left town. Chimaev suggests Strickland is upset because Chimaev beat him in sparring. Strickland counters that he made a joke about Chechnya that Chimaev took personally, leading to threatening messages in a group chat. Strickland says he invited Chimaev to meet up but claims Chimaev never showed and stopped responding. Strickland accuses Chimaev of building his career on a tough-guy image without substance. The conflicting narratives highlight ongoing bad blood between the two fighters.